Factory Talk Design Studio

Modernizing 30 Years of Legacy Software

Redefining industrial automation design tools for the next generation of engineers

CONTEXT and CHALLENGE

FactoryTalk Design Studio (FTDS) is Rockwell Automation’s flagship software for creating and managing industrial control systems. The tool had not undergone a full redesign in nearly 30 years

BEFORE

Outdated user experience compared to modern engineering tools.

Legacy interface challenges across different programming languages. 

Complex workflows that slowed down engineers.

tHE MISSION

To re-imagine FTDS from the ground up, delivering a modern, cloud-based solution that balances innovation, user expectations, compliance, and business goals, while maintaining the reliability required in mission-critical industrial systems.

SOLUTION

A modern, cloud-based FTDS platform with redesigned workflows.

Streamlined workflows for Ladder and Function Block Diagrams, reducing complexity.

A new Structured Text (ST) environment, inspired by modern IDEs, empowering engineers to write more advanced algorithms with ease.

Comprehensive design documentation and process guidelines to ensure long-term scalability. 

EXPLORE THE PROCESS

As a Senior UX Designer, I partnered with a global, cross-functional team of engineers, researchers, product owners, and compliance specialists. My contributions covered from co-creating research plans and workflows to validating designs alongside developers and subject-matter experts.

RESPONSABILITIES

Led UX for the redesign of Logix 5000, Ladder Diagram (LD), and Function Block Diagram (FBD) — the core graphical languages in FTDS

Designed the new Structured Text (ST) editor with modern Integrated Development Environment (IDE)-like features.

Co-structured research plans and design strategies to align cross-functional teams and streamline design and validation.

Executed hands-on UX design, including information architecture (IA), user flows, interaction patterns, and prototyping.

Ensured compliance with accessibility standards and legal regulations.

Facilitated collaboration between stakeholders — balancing engineers’ needs, business goals, and compliance constraints.

PROCESS AND APPROACH

HEAR

UNDERSTAND

CO-CREATE

DELIVER

DISCOVERY AND RESEARCH

User interviews with 20+ engineers and system integrators.

Usability evaluations of the legacy software using methods like PURE (Pragmatic Usability Rating by Experts).

Partnered with engineers and product owners to identify pain points.

Accessibility compliance audits against WCAG and industry-specific standards.

Benchmark studies against tools like Visual Studio Code and MATLAB.

key insights

Cognitive Load and Complexity 

Users dealt with dense interfaces, with 40+ commands exposed at once, leading to fatigue and frequent context switching

Introduced progressive disclosure, contextual menus, and cleaner layouts.

Response

Familiarity Vs. Modernization

70% of engineers feared relearning LD & FBD.

Retained familiar visual metaphors but layered modern patterns (e.g., collapsible panels, shortcut integration).

Response

Accessibility & Compliance

Users reported difficulty using the legacy UI in low-light and high-noise factory environments and legal flagged poor contrast and navigation barriers.

High-contrast themes, screen reader support, keyboard nav.

Response

Trust & Error

Prevention Engineers emphasized the critical need for trust, since errors could shut down production lines.

Inline error messaging, simulation tools, undo/redo safety nets.

Response

strategy and design foundations

Developed a design process strategy to coordinate across teams (LD, FBD, ST).

Defined journey maps and workflows to capture different types of users impacted (control engineers, system integrators, etc.).

Prioritized accessibility, scalability, and consistency in the UI framework.

hands on ux design

Created wireframes and interactive prototypes for LD, FBD, and ST editors.

Collaborated with devs to translate conceptual models into working features.

Conducted iterative usability testing and refined interaction patterns.

40%

Faster task completion in early usability tests

impact and results

Accessibility compliance confirmed (WCAG 2.1 AA+)

30%

Increase in adoption willingness for Structured Text (ST)

25%

Reduction in error rate due to inline feedback and validation.

Established UX as a strategic alignment tool across business, engineering, and compliance teams.

Reduced resistance in testing; adoption likelihood improved when designs looked “new but recognizable.”

Positioned Rockwell Automation with a future-proof software platform after decades of legacy reliance.

reflections and learnings

Designing for mission-critical industries requires balancing innovation with reliability.

In highly specialized industries, accessibility and compliance aren’t constraints — they are opportunities to design better for all users.

The biggest challenge wasn’t visual design but balancing modernization with engineers’ deep reliance on legacy patterns.

Early research alignment with legal and compliance teams avoided costly redesigns later.